jeudi 2 octobre 2008

LIBERATOR - Worldwide Delivery (1998-320kb/s)

It's 1994 in the very south of Sweden, to be precise Sweden third largest town Malmö - a band called LIBERATOR are jamming around, trying to bring back-beat into the music and the local scene by playing covers by THE BEAT, MADNESS and THE SPECIALS etc. Being the party band they set out to be things are of course not really that serious, but nevertheless a demo is recorded and sent out to various labels. Moments later the band has secure a deal with Burning Heart Records who's interest and love for ska has made the label aware of an expanding previously non-existing, now growing Swedish scene and upcoming bands as LIBERATOR, CHICKENPOX, STIFF BREEZE, TIC TOX etc. Burning Heart offers LIBERATOR a song on the "One Step Ahead" CD-single compilation, and from then onwards Liberator and Burning Heart are a team determined to set the nations youth on fire by giving them healthy doses of the new Swe-Tone ska dance craze.

Three years later, LIBERATOR are Sweden's best known...well probably even one of Europe's best known new ska acts. During those years one album ("This is" -96), two EP's ("Freedom fighters" -95 and "Carefully blended" -97) and one single ("Tell me, Tell- me" -96) has been released, establishing the band as a much beloved and vivid band, both on record as well as live, and has build the band a large dedicated following because of their insane and frantic adrenaline-filled live shows. Already being the Swedish godfathers of ska, the band has also influenced many young Swedish bands into playing ska, and being a big participant in creating an exciting steadily growing scene that is yet to see it's heydays.

March 1998; the LIBERATOR album "Worldwide Delivery" is in the pipeline. Reaching the stores on March the 30th, the fans and everyone else ready to lend an ear to the party-rhythm's of these Nordic rudies received a shaken & stirred 14 track cocktail with much more depth, maturity and variation than the debut. The album was establishing Liberator around the world, and it's also released in the US by EPITAPH.

1999: After a hectic `98 with extensive touring behind them (over 100 shows in 14 countries!)., Liberator started to write material for their third full-length-album. Liberator also played some Festivals during the summer (among others ROSKILDE and MALMÖFESTIVALEN). In December, the band entered The End Studio together with producer Kalle Kåks to record their third album, "Too Much Of Everything".

June 2000: On the 5:th of June, "Too Much Of Everything" is being released. LIBERATOR has turned their music into a more rock oriented sound, and an overall more rock'n rollish approach. The album includes 11 tracks, from hard hitting rock hymns as "Rocker's Revolution", "Louder Than Words", "Better Days" and "Too Much Of Everything" to bitter sweet ballads as "Love Strikes Rarely" and "21st Anniversary". A more traditional ska-sound is represented by "Once You Start", while new ground is taken with the irritating catchy "Lucky Idiot", the Chris Isaak-tender "Cutback" and the gospel-flavored "Get Yourself Together". It can be heard that the band been influenced by many different groups like Blur, Thin Lizzy, Toots & the Maytals, Rocket From the Crypt and Devo, and that the band is deadly serious about their music and the Liberator way of life.

2001-12-03; Burning Heart release “Soundchecks 95-00”.A well selected mix of hits from the early jamming in 1995 up till now. Rough rude & nasty early material side by side with fine pop blended songs, and amazing songwriting that doesn’t rely on just the backbeats. Includes plenty of songs that were frequent radio-hits and/or killer live floor-fillers. 19 songs forming this wonderful “the singles & more so far” album.